Record-setting mask imports valued at approximately six billion euros in the year 2020
Germany's Significant Import of Face Masks from China in 2020
In the unprecedented year of 2020, Germany witnessed a substantial increase in the import of face masks, with approximately six billion euros worth of these protective items arriving in the country. A large portion of these imports, around 80%, occurred between April and July, according to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
The main drivers behind this significant increase were the acute shortage of protective equipment in Germany at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the much lower cost of masks imported from China. As hospitals and medical practices rapidly depleted their mask supplies, the German government and local authorities urgently ordered large quantities of face masks from China to meet the demand, as domestic reserves were insufficient.
The early months of 2020 saw a flurry of activity in this area. In March, urgent requests were made to China for protective equipment after local supplies were expected to last only a few more days. Official orders included millions of masks, such as 10 million masks promised by the health minister and 6 million FFP2 masks ordered by customs authorities. The shortage forced hospitals to reuse disposable masks and raised concern among various health sectors.
Face masks from China were significantly cheaper, which made these imports the main source to quickly restock German reserves during the pandemic’s early critical phase.
In January 2021, Germany imported 1.4 billion face masks worth 186.7 million euros. Interestingly, these imports accounted for a small fraction (less than 8%) of the total face mask imports for the year 2020. Remarkably, 94% of the face masks imported in January 2021 came from China.
The import of these masks in January 2021 represented a small portion of the overall German imports, excluding textiles, in the same month. The value of the filtering half masks imported in January 2021 was 166.7 million euros, with 1.1 billion units being filtering half masks.
It is worth noting that the figures provided for January 2021 are preliminary and were released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Thursday.
In contrast to the surge in face mask imports, total German imports, excluding textiles, saw a sharp decline in 2020. In 2019, German imports in the goods group amounted to 11.1 billion euros. However, the import of textiles, excluding clothing, did not show a significant increase compared to the previous month or year.
This surge in face mask imports from China to Germany is a testament to the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategic decisions made to ensure the availability of protective equipment during a critical time.
Other industries, such as finance and business, also observed an increase in transactions with China during this period due to the significant imports of face masks. This surge in trade with China was a result of the cost-effective nature of these imports, which helped alleviate the shortage of masks in Germany during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
